Kansas back in court over abortion restrictions

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas is heading back to court to defend new restrictions on abortion providers, having already spent more than $758,000 on private attorneys in lawsuits over anti-abortion laws.

Chief Judge Kathryn Vratil was scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., on whether she should temporarily block parts of a sweeping state law set to take effect in July.

Planned Parenthood sued last week over provisions spelling out what information patients must receive before their pregnancies are terminated. It wants Vratil to prevent the state from enforcing the restrictions until its lawsuit is resolved.

The required information includes a statement that abortion ends the life of a “living human being.”

Planned Parenthood’s litigation is one of several lawsuits over abortion restrictions enacted since 2011.